Patents by Inventor David J. McMillan

David J. McMillan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11923801
    Abstract: Features for a solar generation system. The system includes a solar generator that may be installed on a shipping container. The solar generator includes one or more deployable rotating solar arrays. The rotating solar arrays may be deployed and stowed using actuators. The rotating solar arrays may be stowed for transport of the system on ships or to remote locations. The solar panels of the array are unexposed when stowed. A base frame with corner castings may attach to standard connections on cargo containers. The solar generators may be stacked on top of each other when stowed for transport. An actuation system may include linear actuators with two arms connecting at a moving pivot point that attach to a base frame and to the panels for deployment. Another actuation system may include end-mounted linear actuation arms with panel backside-mounted deployment arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Halcyon Energy Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Russell A. Prentice, David J. McMillan
  • Publication number: 20230081734
    Abstract: Features for a solar generation system. The system includes a solar generator that may be installed on a shipping container. The solar generator includes one or more deployable rotating solar arrays. The rotating solar arrays may be deployed and stowed using actuators. The rotating solar arrays may be stowed for transport of the system on ships or to remote locations. The solar panels of the array are unexposed when stowed. A base frame with corner castings may attach to standard connections on cargo containers. The solar generators may be stacked on top of each other when stowed for transport. An actuation system may include linear actuators with two arms connecting at a moving pivot point that attach to a base frame and to the panels for deployment. Another actuation system may include end-mounted linear actuation arms with panel backside-mounted deployment arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Russell A. PRENTICE, David J. MCMILLAN
  • Publication number: 20220234516
    Abstract: Features for a mobile solar generator. The system includes a deployable solar array using an actuator and torsion springs. The array can be locked into place after deployment. The array stows for transport of the system to remote locations. The solar panels of the array are unexposed when stowed, and secured into place using various locking mechanisms in both the stowed and deployed configurations. Tamper-resistant hardware is included in the solar array to prevent theft and damage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: Russell A. Prentice, David J. McMillan
  • Patent number: 11247615
    Abstract: Features for a mobile solar generator. The system includes a deployable solar array using an actuator and torsion springs. The array can be locked into place after deployment. The array stows for transport of the system to remote locations. The solar panels of the array are unexposed when stowed, and secured into place using various locking mechanisms in both the stowed and deployed configurations. Tamper-resistant hardware is included in the solar array to prevent theft and damage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Halcyon Energy Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Russell A. Prentice, David J. McMillan
  • Publication number: 20210284076
    Abstract: Features for a mobile solar generator. The system includes a deployable solar array using an actuator and torsion springs. The array can be locked into place after deployment. The array stows for transport of the system to remote locations. The solar panels of the array are unexposed when stowed, and secured into place using various locking mechanisms in both the stowed and deployed configurations. Tamper-resistant hardware is included in the solar array to prevent theft and damage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Russell A. Prentice, David J. McMillan
  • Patent number: 6479818
    Abstract: An x-ray optic is employed in combination with an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detector to enhance detection performance. Such a combined optic and detector may be employed in scanning electron microscope or environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) applications. The x-ray optic may be a grazing incidence optic (GIO) employed as a flux enhancing collimator for use with an EDS detector, used to perform electron beam microanalysis. It is found that the GIO in combination with an EDS provides substantial intensity gain for x-ray lines with energy below 1 keV. The GIO is also found to provide a modest focus effect, i.e., by limiting the field of view of the detector, and introduces minimal spectral effects. The combined optic and detector is useful in applications employing broad beam excitation, such as an ESEM or a system using x-ray fluorescence, to spatially limit the x-rays of interest to those within the acceptance angle of the optic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Thermo Noran Inc.
    Inventors: Jon J. McCarthy, David J. McMillan
  • Patent number: 6398108
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus uses a plurality of image forming units that are arranged rotatable in a vertical plane such that the image forming units that shifted sequentially to an image forming position. Each image forming unit has a translucent toner detection window on its outer periphery for detecting the remaining amount of toner in a toner hopper. The image forming units will have a replacing position in which it will face an opening for allowing replacement of the image forming unit. The translucent detection window will face the opening when the image forming unit is in the replacing position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: James D. Swinton, David J. McMillan, William Rice, Timothy Wiggins
  • Patent number: 6135440
    Abstract: A belt (28) is moved into contact with a sheet (70) to be fed from the stack (18) under the control of a solenoid (48), which when energized causes pivoting of a crank mechanism (42) and an pulley (26) which supports the belt (28). The belt (28) frictionally engages the sheet (70) as to separate it from the stack (18) and move it into engagement with feed rollers (56) of a transport mechanism. The belt (28) is then retracted from the sheet (70) which is moved away from the stack (18) by the feed rollers (56). After a predetermined time period, the belt (28) is moved into contact with the next sheet of the stack (18) to be fed and the process is repeated until the desired number of sheets have been fed from the stack (18). The belt (28) is driven so that it rotates continuously during the pick operation and is brought to rest on retraction of the belt (28) after the final sheet has been picked from the stack (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew Lynch, David J. McMillan, John A. Peebles
  • Patent number: 6029971
    Abstract: A belt displacement operation is periodically carried by the pick mechanism 11 of a sheet feeding apparatus, when the number of sheets fed has reaches a predetermined value. The motor 34 is driven in reverse for a predetermined time, so as to cause rotation of the belt 28 in the opposite direction to that during feeding. Since the pick pulley 26 is supported on the shaft 38 by means of a one-way clutch 40 so that it does not rotate during the reverse rotation of the belt 28, displacement of the belt 28 occurs relative to the pick pulley 26, so that in subsequent pick operations, a different portion of the belt 28 engages the stack 18 so as to pick a sheet, than had displacement of the belt 28 not occurred. This reduces the risk of localized portions of the belt 28 becoming more worn than others, due to more frequent engagement with the stack 18.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew Lynch, David J. McMillan, Derek S. Bell
  • Patent number: 5436435
    Abstract: An automated financial system (6) includes a plurality of wall-mounted user interface units (10, 12, 14) and a central module system (8), including a plurality of modules (40, 42, 46, 48) such as may be employed in a conventional ATM, located in a safe area remote from the interface units (10, 12 or 14). A track (20) connects each interface unit (10, 12 or 14) to the central module system (8). A motor-driven carriage (24) rides on each track (20) and has a cassette (26) fixed thereto, which is capable of carrying currency or other media between the respective interface unit (10, 12 or 14) and the central module system (8). A receptacle (18) for holding small amounts of currency is associated with each interface unit (10, 12 or 14) for supplying small amounts of currency to a user without the need for obtaining such currency from the central module system (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: David J. McMillan